


Special Bond

by Takamin



Category: Inazuma Eleven GO
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Sleepovers, happy kyoten day folks, no beta read we die
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25822030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takamin/pseuds/Takamin
Summary: Tenma and Kyousuke discover their feelings for each other.
Relationships: Matsukaze Tenma/Tsurugi Kyousuke
Comments: 1
Kudos: 33





	1. The First Day

Being a sunny weekday, the light rays reflected on Yuuichi’s pale skin as he listened with attention to his brother.

Kyousuke, engrossed on his own thoughts, was talking non-stop about Tenma, occasionally mentioning his other teammates, and he ended up noticing his brother quietly giggling to himself.

“What is it?” Kyousuke asked.

Yuuichi stopped giggling, but kept a smile on his face. “Nothing, nothing. Just that, you talk about Tenma so much, I’m starting to think he’s your boyfriend,” he jokingly said.

Kyousuke frowned as he crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. “Don’t say that. We’re friends, nothing else.”

Yuuichi observed his brother with curious eyes. He had expected a violent reaction from him, something around the lines of “I don’t have time for love!” or “Stuff like that is pointless!”, but he huffed. Yuuichi guessed the comment hadn't actually annoyed Kyousuke, which made him wonder if he did like Tenma in that way.

Which wouldn’t be a surprise, really.

He didn’t voice any of his thoughts, but asked, “You like a lot that boy, don’t you?”

Kyousuke did get annoyed this time. Instead of saying something, he glanced at Yuuichi with a sharp look.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Yuuichi stressed.

Kyousuke sighed, not letting himself smile at the mere thought of Tenma’s joyful face. “Of course I do. He brought soccer back to me, after all.”

Yuuichi couldn’t help but wonder if Kyousuke genuinely only liked Tenma as a friend, or if he felt something else. Not wanting to annoy more his brother, he kept his mouth shut, feeling that he might blurt out his thoughts about the relationship between the two kids.

Meanwhile, in the same city, another boy was talking excitedly with his friends. He was going to hang out with his best friend the following weekend and he was chatting about it with a radiant smile. The boy, of course, was Matsukaze Tenma. And his friends were Sorano Aoi and Nishizono Shinsuke, who always hung out with him after class.

“You must be really happy, Tenma!” Sorano commented.

Nishizono sighed, lowering his head. “You’re so lucky. It’s almost as if you and Tsurugi had a special bond.”

Tenma looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean…?” Nishizono stopped walking, searching the words to explain his own thoughts. “Um… like… he only lets you be around him?”

Sorano interrupted him. “I think I get what you’re saying. Tsurugi-kun only lets Tenma approach him, right?”

Tenma blinked, tilting his head. “Really?”

Sorano nodded. “Yeah! I think he gets happy when you’re with him! Or, at least, he seems to do.”

“I think so too!” Nishizono added.

“Ah,” Tenma said in a strange whisper. “I hadn’t really noticed. Though I do love being with him!”

The topic of the conversation ended up changing, but Nishizono’s comment lingered on his mind. “It’s almost as if you and Tsurugi had a special bond.” …What did “special bond” mean? Didn’t people use that as a romantic term?

Having dinner in the kitchen with Kino now, Tenma was talking about his meetup with her, who made happy comments about it. But her comments went through Tenma’s ear and exited through the other, his mind somewhere else.

Finally frowning out of annoyance, Tenma voiced the question lingering on his mind. “Aki-nee, what’s having a special bond with someone?”

“A special bond?” Kino asked to herself, tapping a finger on her chin. Tenma must be too young to fall in love, right? So she decided to give a lighter answer. “Mm… I think it’s something like having a crush. You really, really like someone and your day gets much better with just seeing that person.”

After hearing Kino’s words, Tenma returned to his own mind. So… like being in love? Tenma hadn’t ever had a crush, always too busy playing soccer, so he wasn’t entirely sure, but trusted his caretaker.

He went to his bedroom thinking on that. Nishizono must’ve been wrong on his opinion of him and Kyousuke… because there was no way two boys could like each other romantically… right?

Or, well, he hadn’t ever seen anything like that.

With “special bond”… Nishizono hadn’t meant that Kyousuke and him made a good couple, right…? He enjoyed being with the taller boy, loved playing soccer with him, but….

Exhausted of thinking about it, Tenma fell asleep, having forgotten about the whole special bond thing the next morning.

That day, at training, Shindou noticed Tenma being more energetic than usual. Curious about the hyperactive attitude, Shindou asked Tenma what was going on.

Kyousuke, who was minding his business, suddenly felt a couple of hands on his shoulders, surprising him at first but then relaxing when he noticed it was Tenma.

“Tsurugi and me are going to hang out this weekend! I'm so excited! Right, Tsurugi?” he asked happily to Kyousuke.

Kyousuke nodded, a smile slipping into his face, because he liked seeing Tenma happy.

Shindou smiled at them and said, “Of course you are.”

Kyousuke didn’t think anything about it, but Shindou’s sentence made Tenma remember what Nishizono and Kino had said yesterday. He ignored the thought for now and went back to playing soccer with his friends.

That night, while playing the piano, Shindou received a call. Feeling annoyed because of the sudden sound interrupting his play, he got surprised when he saw the name of the person trying to contact him. He couldn’t tell what reason could Tenma have to call him.

Shindou picked his phone up and accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Shindou-senpai!” Tenma answered, a hint of relief in the tone of his voice. “I thought for a second that you had already gone to sleep…”

Shindou shook his head, even if Tenma couldn’t see it. “Don’t worry, I was playing the piano.” He crossed his legs, as he lowered the cover of his keyboard. “What did you need?”

“Eh, do you think Tsurugi and me are particularly close? Like… like if we had a special bond?” Tenma felt embarrassed talking about such things with his upperclassman, who didn’t have anything to do with the situation. But Tenma thought he had no one else to talk with besides him.

“What do you mean with “special bond”…?” Shindou asked, not wanting to jump into any unwanted conclusions.

Tenma recalls Kino's words from yesterday. “Aki-nee said that it’s like having a crush.”

“…What about you? What do you think it means?”

…Him?

Tenma had asked others for their opinions on the matter… but, thinking about it now, he hadn’t thought about it by himself, without people influencing his own thoughts. He stared at the ceiling, searching for an answer. He thought of how he felt with Kyousuke, how much happier he would get around him, how much he enjoyed playing soccer with him…

Shindou waited patiently for his underclassman to respond the question.

“I think…” Tenma started, the first response that appeared on his mind instantly coming out of his mouth, “I think it’s loving someone so much you want to be with them forever.”

Shindou smiled to himself. “There you have your answer,” he said and hanged up.

Tenma returned to reality after he heard his phone make a sound, sign of Shindou having left the call. He placed the object on his desk. His eyes went back to staring at the ceiling, getting lost in his own world. His feelings for Kyousuke were different from the ones he had for his other friends, he knew that. But were they that strong…? Did they cross the road between friendship and love…?

Tenma’s view started to get blurrier and blurrier. The boy fell asleep, too tired already to even keep thinking about his best friend.

The days passed and Tenma couldn’t think of anything else besides his “special bond” with Kyousuke. That didn’t affect his mood, though. He waited for Kyousuke beside the riverbed, brightly greeting him when the boy approached the place.

“Tsurugi!” Tenma loudly said.

Kyousuke lifted a hand and shook it to then return it into his pocket.

“Tsurugi, Tsurugi!” Tenma repeated and, before Kyousuke could say anything, he kept talking, “There’s a new café in the commercial street! I was thinking that we should go and check it out.”

A normal person would’ve been taken aback by Tenma’s merry responses. But Kyousuke had already gotten accustomed to them after having spent so much time with the brunet. He nodded, the serious expression on his face not changing, though his lips wanted to form a smile. It was inexplicable, but Tenma’s radiant personality always made him feel great.

“Let’s go then,” Kyousuke said.

The boys walked side by side, chatting about different stuff, like homework, soccer, their team…

Tenma asked how Yuuichi was. He hadn't seen him in a while.

Kyousuke told him that he was doing well, though it annoyed him that the operation had to be postponed due to the hospital suddenly getting tons of emergencies.

Tenma reassured him that everything will turn out okay.

After walking for a bit more, the boys reached the café. After making their orders and receiving them, Tenma commented that there had been something bothering him these last few days.

“Tsurugi,” he started, “what do you think a “special bond” is?”

“A special bond…?” Kyousuke took a sip of his drink, thinking. “Uh… having a significant other?” He cringed, feeling stupid after hearing his own response. “Why are you asking that?”

Lowering his gaze, Tenma responded, “Shinsuke told me some days ago that we had a special bond…” Tenma got flustered when he saw Kyousuke lean back on his chair, frowning, “I-I’m sure he meant it in a friendly way!”

Kyousuke relaxed, but refused to make eye contact with Tenma. Why had Nishizono thought about them in that way…? His ears focused on the conversation again when Tenma changed the topic of it, who got scared of the previous one, thinking it might have made Kyousuke uncomfortable.

A whole hour passed before they were ready to leave the place, having liked it quite a lot. Before leaving, a waitress stopped them.

“Thank you for coming! We recommend you to try out the pink menu next time!” she promoted with a huge smile. “A menu exclusive to all the lovey-dovey couples in town!”

Both boys showed a light blush on their cheeks, Tenma’s eyes widening and Kyousuke looking at the floor. Tenma stumbled on his words before being able to formulate a proper sentence.

The waitress blinked while smiling, thinking that they were shy about their relationship.

“We… We, uhm… We don’t have that kind of relationship! We’re friends!” Tenma finally said.

The waitress turned red. “O-Oh, I’m sorry! I’ve seen some matches of yours and the way you looked at each other made me think… I-I’m really sorry!” She bowed.

Both Tenma and Kyousuke raised their eyebrows at the waitress's comment.

“Don’t… Don’t worry about it,” Tenma reassured her.

The couple of boys left the café without saying anything about the misunderstanding that had occured. They returned to the riverbed and Tenma suggested that they should play soccer.

Kyousuke agreed with the idea, so they went to Kino's building to get the ball.

Once they got there, Tenma realized Kyousuke hadn’t ever been to his place and Kino had only heard about the boy from what he had told her about him.

“Aki-nee, Aki-nee!” Tenma said cheerfully, “You hadn’t seen him before, right? This is Tsurugi! The boy I told you about!” He then turned to Kyousuke. “Tsurugi, this is Aki-nee! She takes care of me!”

Kino giggled to herself, “Tenma, you don’t need to present us like that. It makes me feel like I’m your mother.”

Tenma looked at her with curious eyes, “Why?”

“You know, in movies… when the son presents his girlfriend to his parents? I think I feel like those parents now.” Kino said while smiling softly, thinking that it was funny… until she noticed both boys' embarrassed faces. “I-I didn’t mean it like that! Sorry!”

Kyousuke remained quiet, staring at the ground, hoping that he wasn’t blushing.

Tenma reassured Kino that it was okay, also hoping that his cheeks weren’t red. He went to his bedroom, with Kyousuke following him, and took his football. The boys then left to the riverbed for the third time that day

“Hey,” Tenma started saying while walking, “do you want to stay over tonight?”

Kyousuke gave him a look and raised an eyebrow, because Tenma only had one bed.

Tenma realized this and quickly added, “Don’t worry! I’ll ask Aki-nee for a futon!”

Kyousuke thought about it for a moment. Maybe that could bring them closer and clear some of his own thoughts…? “Okay,” he finally said, pulling out his phone to message his parents about it.

Tenma smiled brightly, making Kyousuke unconsciously smile back.

After arriving to the riverbed, they played soccer until it was night. Having played for many hours, both boys sat down on a bench, relaxing with the gentle breeze. This brought back memories to both of them. To when they last practiced Fire Tornado Double Drive. 

Before Kyousuke could make it, Tenma made a request. “Tsurugi, can we do Fire Tornado Double Drive now?”

Kyousuke nodded, acting as if he hadn’t had the same idea and hadn’t been about to ask the same thing. “Sure.”

They positioned themselves in the middle of the field.

Kyousuke kicked the ball upwards, leaving it at an impressive distance from the ground.

The couple quickly jumped and spinned, fire accompanying their rotating bodies. They shouted the technique’s name and kicked the ball, feeling their emotions being passed to it. The ball entered the goal at an alarming speed and with an enormous strength.

“I’m glad we finally got it right!” Tenma exclaimed after falling steadily on the ground. “But I still wonder why it didn’t work out before that last match at Holy Road.”

“Who knows,” Kyousuke said, shrugging. He knew why, but saying it would be far too embarrassing for him. Before doing Fire Tornado Double Drive, mere seconds before doing the technique, Kyousuke realized how much Tenma really meant to him. Though his stubbornness and pride had gotten in the way of realizing it, things became clear to him in the middle of the final match.

…Or, at least, that’s what he had thought. He remembered the waitress and Yuuichi’s comments, Nishizono's addition slipping in his train of thought. Kyousuke had thought of his relationship with Tenma as something platonic… until now.

He admitted to himself that he maybe got a bit… too happy around him. And, thinking about it now, he’d like to hug Tenma… to cuddle with him… to hold his hand… to… to… maybe even to…

Tenma noticed Kyousuke staring at the ground. “Tsurugi?” He approached his friend when he got no reaction and waved a hand in front of his face. “Tsurugi, you there?”

Kyousuke blinked and returned to reality, his cheeks turning a pale tone of red at the sight of Tenma’s face being so close to his own. He quickly backed off, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. “Sorry, I spaced out. Let’s go to my place to get my pyjamas.”

“Alright!” Tenma said with enthusiasm. He had never been to Kyousuke’s place before and the mere thought of having a sleepover with his friend there made his heart pitter-patter.

The boys arrived to Kyousuke’s home after a short walk.

Kyousuke turned the doorknob, knowing that his parents would be at home at that hour.

“Kyousuke?” A female voice sounded from the living room. The woman headed towards the entrance while the boys entered the apartment. “I thought you were going to… oh!” She suddenly cut herself, noticing Kyousuke’s companion. “You must be Tenma-kun, right? Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you!” Tenma said.

The woman showed a wide smile on her face. “I’m so happy I finally get to meet you! Kyousuke has changed so much since he met you, he’s almost unrecognizable!”

Both boys blushed, Kyousuke showing a stronger color on his cheeks and clenching his fists. “Mom.”

“Sorry, sorry~.” His mother apologized, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

Kyousuke sighed and looked at Tenma. “Wait for me here. I’ll be right back.” That said, the boy left to get his stuff.

“That boy… he must be so cold to you.” Kyousuke’s mother huffed. “But don’t worry about it. He actually likes you quite a bit.”

Tenma blushed and said, “I don’t feel him cold or distant.”

“Really…?!” The woman raised her eyebrows, her expression brightening up. “Then you must be really special!”

Kyousuke came back just to find his mother overly joyous and Tenma’s face imitating a tomato. Kyousuke grimaced and protectively stood in front of Tenma. “What are you telling him?”

Kyousuke’s mother waved her hands innocently, “Nothing, nothing!”

Kyousuke sighed and glared at her. He turned back and opened the door, exiting his home. “Tenma, let’s go.”

“Ah, okay! Uh, goodbye!” Still feeling embarrassed over the conversation he just had, Tenma left the apartment while Kyousuke’s mother waved them goodbye.

The woman giggled to herself after her son closed the door. “That Tenma-kun sure is an interesting boy.”

“She… didn’t tell you anything weird, right?” Kyousuke asked while walking. He remembered what his brother had told him before and now realized how much he talked about the shorter boy.

“Nope!” Tenma said cheerfully, noticing his friend’s nervousness. It was a white, little lie. He knew that Kyousuke liked him, but he didn’t think it’d be so much to even alarm his mother. Though Tenma was sure the woman meant it platonically.

Kyousuke stared at Tenma for one more second before smiling to then frown and force a serious look on his face.

Tenma almost laughed at the sudden change. Kyousuke would, sometimes, give some strange reactions. They were unexpected, but very amusing (and confusing) to Tenma.

After arriving to Tenma’s place, both boys ate dinner and Kino lent them a futon.

Tenma laid the futon beside his bed. “If it gets cold, I’ll get inside as well!” he jokingly said.

“I don’t think that it’ll be much warmer than your bed,” Kyousuke mentioned.

“I’ll feel warmer with you!” Tenma innocently said to then blush after hearing his own words.

Kyousuke’s cheeks showed a similar color. “Don’t say that,” he quickly said, getting inside the futon while faking an annoyed expression. The thought of sharing the futon with Tenma actually made his heart skip a beat.

Tenma smiled to himself and got inside his bed… but there was one problem.

He wasn’t sleepy at all.

In fact, neither of them were.

Tenma thought about the possibility of Kyousuke finding their relationship as something “special”, while Kyousuke’s mind tried to decipher what Nishizono had meant with “Tenma and him having a special bond”.

Both boys turned at the same time, surprising each other.

“You also can’t sleep, huh…?” Tenma asked.

Kyousuke nodded, his eyes now focusing on the object between Tenma’s arms. “Do you really sleep with a football?”

“Of course!” Tenma whispered energetically, his eyes shining. “Soccer has to be part of every time of the day!”

Kyousuke sighed, but smiled. He thought that that was a childish thing to do with their age, but found it cute in it’s own way. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to him, though. He already knew how much Tenma loved soccer, and this was another proof of that burning passion.

“Oh, I forgot to do something!” Tenma said out of nowhere. “Tsurugi, can you sit up?”

Kyousuke raised an eyebrow at that, but did it anyway, Tenma doing it as well. Wondering what was this for, Kyousuke noticed Tenma’s body slightly move backwards, a mischievous smile on his face now. Before he could even blink, Tenma jumped on him, wrapping his arms around Kyousuke’s body and crashing him into the floor.

“What was that for?!” Kyousuke annoyedly asked, his head hurting now.

“Hug~!” Tenma chirped.

“Why do you have to throw me every time you do it…?!” Kyousuke asked this time.

“Because you won’t let me hug you in a normal way! I always have to catch you by surprise!” Tenma answered back with a faked annoyed tone, hoping that Kyousuke wouldn’t brush him off.

Kyousuke sighed, “Sit up.”

Tenma obeyed, not letting Kyousuke’s body go, forcing him to sit up as well.

They stayed like that for a good minute, before Tenma spoke again.

“What was that for?” he asked, looking up at Kyousuke’s eyes.

Kyousuke, taken aback by Tenma’s sudden words, stuttered and broke eye contact with the smaller boy. “I… I thought you’d be more comfortable like this.” He felt shy saying that, not accustomed to being honest with his feelings. And much less accustomed to expressing them.

Tenma’s smile imitated the first soft rays of sunshine one would encounter after waking up and rubbed his head against Kyousuke’s chest. “Tsurugi… why don’t you ever hug me?”

Still feeling shy and insecure about his actions, Kyousuke went to wrap his arms around Tenma, but stopped himself before doing so. Was this okay? He had never been the kind of boy to do this sort of stuff… but he already had thought about how nice it would be to hug Tenma sometime. This was the perfect opportunity to do so.

Therefore, there only seemed to be one thing to do.

With trembling arms, Kyousuke wrapped his arms around Tenma’s body.

The smaller boy, feeling the hesitation on his friend’s action, tightened his own embracement, as if to reassure him that everything was okay.

Kyousuke couldn’t help but blush and smile at the action. Feeling his body warm, he also tightened up his embracement, laying his chin on the head below him. Thanking the boy between his arms.

Tenma felt his cheeks heat up. He separated his head from Kyousuke’s chest and looked at his eyes.

Kyousuke’s eyes looked like stars in the middle of the night, while Tenma’s were complimented by the faint moonlight. Both boys felt their heartbeat speed up, butterflies teasing their stomachs and a dumb smile stuck on their faces.

Tenma hid his red face by placing his head against Kyousuke’s chest again. “Tsurugi… your heart is beating so fast…” Tenma quietly giggled. “Must be because you don’t hug people very often.”

“Uh, yeah,” Kyousuke lied. He was starting to realize some things… that he should think about later. Things that Tenma didn’t need to know about. Things that Tenma didn’t need to know about yet. Things that Tenma might end up knowing… but not until Kyousuke had affirmed them.

“Tsurugi.” Tenma started, rubbing his head against Kyousuke’s neck. “We should go to sleep like this.”

Kyousuke immediately agreed with him, making himself blush by his own rapid response. 

The boys moved and got inside the futon, Kyousuke trying his best to cover both of them with the duvet. Trying his hardest for Tenma’s head to not move from his chest.

Tenma looked at him with a soft gaze and Kyousuke returned it, carefully taking Tenma’s cheek.

Tenma blushed and rubbed his cheek against Kyousuke’s hand, feeling like he had reached Nirvana.

Sadly, Kyousuke realized what his own hand was doing and retrieved it, blushing strongly and leaving Tenma’s cheek terribly cold.

“S-Sorry, I don’t know why… I…” Kyousuke stammered.

“…Don’t worry about it.” Tenma reassured him, already missing the extra warmness.

They stared at each other.

They stared at each other for as long as their eyes allowed to… before finally falling asleep.


	2. The Second Day

The next day, Aki went to wake up the couple of boys. She opened the door… and quietly closed it after seeing them cuddle. It seemed that Tenma had found a good replacement for his football. Not wanting to interrupt them, Aki went back to the kitchen to keep making today’s breakfast.

Eventually, both boys woke up with a smile on their faces. Tenma noticed Kyousuke’s pure smile, radiating nothing but happiness and gratitude. It made his heart skip. Tenma would’ve never thought Kyousuke would get so happy by just getting a sight of him, but it really looked like it had made his day.

“I like your smile,” Tenma said with a soft whisper.

Kyousuke’s eyes widened and his smile disappeared. He looked away, as if he didn’t want to see the boy next to him. “Don’t say that.” He could feel his cheeks warm, but, thankfully, his blood decided to not embarrass him further.

Tenma pouted, feeling disappointed now, but glad that he got to see Kyousuke like that.

“We should get dressed,” Kyousuke said. “I have to leave early to do homework,” he excused himself, not mentioning the underlying motive behind his departure; to think again about what he really felt for his friend.

“Okay!” Tenma said while putting on a t-shirt. “Can we do homework together?”

Kyousuke looked at him. It should be fine… he could be left alone with his thoughts after doing homework with Tenma. And spending more time with him never hurt. “Sure,” he finally said, fastening his belt.

After getting dressed, the boys left Tenma’s room and headed towards the kitchen. There, Kino waited for them while flipping another pancake for the pile beside her. Both boys greeted her good morning and sat on the chairs, waiting patiently for the woman to finish.

“Those smell great, Aki-nee!” Tenma told her, feeling his stomach rumble.

Though he remained quiet, Kyousuke admitted that those pancakes both looked and smelled delicious. He hadn’t eaten homemade sweets in a long, long time… since Yuuichi and him had cooked something together, to be more specific.

“Here they are!” Aki said as she placed the plate on the table, placing another two empty plates for the teens and some cutlery beside them. She also placed a nice bottle of maple syrup beside the pancake pile. “Did you have a nice night, Tsurugi-kun? That futon hasn’t been used in a very long time…”

“Yeah,” Kyousuke responded.

After having breakfast, the boys took a walk to Kyousuke’s house. Kyousuke’s mother got alarmed when she heard someone come in, only to calm down when she saw it was just her son with his friend. Though there was one thing that she found weird. “Welcome back! You didn’t go to the hospital today, Kyousuke?”

Kyousuke raised his eyebrows and then returned to his usual laid-back look. Thanks to Tenma, he had completely forgotten about visiting Yuuichi today. “I’ll visit him on the evening. I got homework to do.” Kyousuke then asked Tenma to follow him into his bedroom.

While Kyousuke got out his own notebooks, Tenma looked around the room. He noticed another bed and guessed it was Yuuichi’s. He also noticed some trophies on top of a drawer. “Oh! Tsurugi, when did you get those?”

“They aren’t mine,” Kyousuke started, “they’re my brother’s. He won them with his old team in small, local tournaments… before he had to be hospitalized.” He looked at the floor, still feeling guilty over the accident, though Tenma’s optimism and constant support was slowly making him walk away from that feeling. “Come here already.”

Tenma now felt bad for asking, though Kyousuke hadn’t meant to sound aggressive. He sat beside Kyousuke and placed his notebooks on the table. “Is there anything you’re bad at, Tsurugi?” Tenma asked with curious eyes.

“Mm… English, I guess?” Kyousuke responded. “I’m much better at PE.”

“Well, that just makes sense for both of us,” Tenma laughed.

Kyousuke smiled, “Come on, let’s get started.”

The boys spent hours studying.

When they got everything done, Tenma was ready to leave. But before doing so, Tenma gave Kyousuke a tight hug, who let the smaller boy hug him as much as he wanted.

Kyousuke’s mother, who have gone to say goodbye to Tenma, looked at them very surprised.

Tenma separated from the hug and opened the door while flashing a great smile on his face.

Kyousuke waved him goodbye while wearing a soft smile. He closed the door and proceeded to return to his bedroom… until his mother’s unexpected presence made him jump.

“Aw, Kyousuke, you should let your mother hug you as well!” she protested, making Kyousuke exasperated, “But I’m glad you found someone special.”

Kyousuke’s face turned red. “We are friends!” he said irritated and went back to his bedroom. He locked the door without giving his mother enough time to tell him she hadn’t meant it in that way.

…Had she? Her son’s attitude did get… peculiar around Tenma. He often smiled more when talking about Tenma, the smile being accompanied by the pitch of his voice getting higher. And Tenma was the only person he talked about nowadays. As if his other teammates didn’t exist.

“…Oh,” The woman murmured to herself. Her son… was dating a boy… and because he’s scared of her being homophobic, he didn’t want to bring attention into their relationship! That’s why he was so mad about her pointing out the relationship he shared with his “friend”! Yeah! That made sense!

The woman sighed, “Oh, sorry Kyousuke… I should have noticed…”

Kyousuke laid on his bed and sighed, covering his eyes with his arm, placing the other one on his belly. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He had had crushes before and none of them had felt like this. The butterflies on his stomach, the speedy heartbeat, the stupidly awkward attitude around Tenma… all of this was too new for him.

Unsurprisingly, at his own apartment, Tenma was thinking about the same thing. But, unlike Kyousuke, Tenma went to the riverbed to practice his dribbling, not wanting to keep obsessing over the matter… but that ended up being impossible. He knew that he wasn’t moving as fast as he should because of his dumb thoughts. Frustrated, Tenma ended up returning home.

Aki noticed his strange mood and asked him what was wrong.

“Aki-nee… have you ever had a crush?” Tenma asked, sitting on a chair.

“Of course I have,” she sweetly answered.

“How does it feel to have one?” Tenma asked now.

“Tenma-kun… do you think you might have a crush on someone?” Aki asked.

Tenma nodded.

“Well… the way you react to those feelings changes depending of the person, so I don’t think I can explain it properly.” She awkwardly smiled, but noticed Tenma’s mood wasn’t improving at all. “Generally, people feel shy around their crush and their friends call them out on it, often just to embarrass them.”

Tenma’s expression relaxed a lot, letting out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad…! That means I don’t have a crush on Tsurugi! Phew, I was so worried… because, whenever I’m with him, my stomach starts to do weird stuff… and I feel my heart beat really fast!”

“Love is a strong emotion, after all,” Aki wisely said.

Tenma made a confused expression. “Eh? What do you mean?” he asked.

“Think about it. You’ll discover it sooner or later,” Aki replied.

Tenma went back to his bedroom and threw himself on the bed. Aki had described to him how having a crush felt and that hadn’t applied to him, so…. Did… did she mean… falling in love? But wasn’t that the same thing as having a crush on someone? Tenma decided to research about it online. Maybe he had been wrong all those years about his conception of love.

Half an hour later, his research was showing him that that had been the case. He turned to the other side of the bed and kept reading the page his phone was showing him. To fall in love with a boy… was that even possible? Both of them were boys! There was no way that could happen, right?! Just before he could break his own heart, Tenma went back to the kitchen.

“Just in time! I was about to call you for dinner” Aki said with an amused tone.

Tenma chuckled at that, his hesitant look returning. “Uh, Aki-nee… can boys fall in love with… with other boys?” he asked, sitting on his usual chair while facing the table.

Aki looked at him, “Of course they can!”

Tenma managed to show a small smile after her statement. “…I see.”

Aki smiled kindly at him, though not expecting him to realize it so soon. “You shouldn’t worry about it, Tenma-kun. Whoever you love, I’m sure he feels the same way you do.”

Tenma wasn’t so sure about that, but still gave Aki a grateful smile.

The next day, after classes, Tenma asked Kyousuke if he wanted to hang out again with him the following Saturday.

Kyousuke accepted, hoping to not act weird because of his discovered feelings for the brunet. They agreed on hanging out at the arcade.

That evening, after training and having made sure Kyousuke had left the hospital, Tenma entered the building, heading towards Yuuichi’s room. He wanted to ask him some questions about his best friend.

“Uhm, good evening, Yuuichi-san,” Tenma said.

“Oh, Tenma-kun! Good evening.” Yuuichi greeted him. “Kyousuke just left. I’m surprised you didn’t see him.”

“I did. I… I wanted to talk with you.” Tenma said with an insecure gaze, making Yuuichi raise his eyebrows. “Yuuichi-san… does Tsurugi talk about me?”

Yuuichi smiled after realizing what was going on. “Of course he does!” he responded, wanting to add information about how much Kyousuke talked about him, but he knew his brother would kill him if he did that. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, because… I…” Tenma looked at the floor and then again at Yuuichi. “Promise you won’t tell anyone about this?”

Yuuichi nodded, “I promise.”

Silence.

Even if Yuuichi promised to not say anything, saying his own feelings out loud made Tenma feel insecure. If Kyousuke ended up not feeling the same way, he didn’t know what he was going to do… but this wasn’t Kyousuke. This was his brother.

Tenma sighed, “Because I think I’m in love with him.”

Yuuichi gave him a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him. He might feel the same way.” His eyes went back to the book he had been reading, before Tenma came into his room. “He enjoys being with you a lot.”

Tenma blushed and, feeling comforted, left the hospital. His heart was still beating rapidly because of his anxiety, but Yuuichi had managed to calm it down a bit.

Yuuichi smirked to himself after the boy left.

“Those two have a much better story than the one this book has. I mean, letting your brother fight aliens when he’s fourteen and not even caring about it? That’s just being an awful brother.” Yuuichi sighed, “Those two….”

He couldn’t help it but let out a giggle. Before Tenma came in, Kyousuke had talked with him about the same thing. Though Kyousuke never mentioned Tenma’s name, he could easily guess of who his sibling had been talking about.

The weekend came and the boys met up at the arcade, Tenma looking fascinated at the place’s decoration. He found weird and curious that Kyousuke often visited such a colorful site. In a way, it amused him.

“I’ve never been into video games,” Tenma stated, “but I’m sure we’ll have fun! Though, you’ll have to teach me a lot of things…”

Kyousuke nodded and smiled. Though he wasn’t showing it, he was very excited to share his second favorite hobby with his best friend. And Tenma being bad at arcade games would be more than understandable. Only people who spent unholy amounts of time in there were truly good players. That, of course, wasn’t Kyousuke’s case. But he considered himself to be a decent player.

They went through the fighting games first, but the controls resulted to be too complicated for Tenma (and Kyousuke wasn’t too good at them either, but he wasn’t going to admit that.). 

Next, they went through the rhythm games. They had fun with them. Even though it was Tenma’s first time playing those, he was able to play some of the hard levels.

Tenma noticed Kariya was playing one of the games as well and went to salute him, but Kyousuke stopped him.

“He’s in the middle of something. He’ll get mad if you interrupt him.” Kyousuke clarified.

Not understanding the situation at all, Tenma nodded and followed Kyousuke to the next game available, air hockey. Tenma noticed that, while Kyousuke’s expression remained serious, his eyes were sparkling while looking at the game.

“I’ve always wanted to try this one out, but I’ve never had anyone to play it with.” Kyousuke said and looked at his friend. “Want to give it a try?”

Tenma grinned when he saw Kyousuke’s hopeful gaze meet his eyes. “Sure!”

Kyousuke smiled, feeling his heart jump after hearing Tenma’s response. He quickly went back to his serious face, self-aware of how stupid he must have looked. He felt his cheeks heat up out of embarrassment while walking to the other side of the field.

Their first match started and they soon found out that the game was like playing soccer… but having to be on all positions at once. In reality, that would be stressful, but in a little game, it was fun.

They spent hours playing air hockey, until Kyousuke realized they had spent far too much money on it. They left the arcade, wondering what to do now.

“…Tenma…” Kyousuke started, but was interrupted by Tenma himself.

“Tsurugi, do you want to play soccer?” Tenma asked.

“…Sure,” Kyousuke responded.

Tenma looked at him. “Oh, sorry. Were you going to say something?”

“Nevermind it,” Kyousuke told him. “Let’s get some ice cream.”

As they exited the convenience store, Tenma laughed at the remembrance of Kyousuke being amazed by all the different types of ice cream they had at the convenience store.

“It didn’t take you long to choose this time.” Tenma mentioned, which was followed by Kyousuke telling him to shut up while he embarrassedly ate the creamy sweet.

After picking Tenma’s football from his apartment, the boys headed towards the riverbed to play soccer until they were exhausted. So, when they had played their favorite sport for hours, Kyousuke asked Tenma something that had been on his mind since they left the arcade.

“Tenma,” Kyousuke started, “do you want to stay over at my place tonight?” While he tried to play it cool and make eye contact with Tenma, he could feel his heart pounding.

Tenma’s eyes glittered. “Really?! Can I?!”

“I haven’t asked my parents yet… but I’m sure they’ll be okay with it,” Kyousuke clarified.

“Then, of course!” In an instant, Tenma’s arms were wrapped around Kyousuke’s body.

Kyousuke sighed but smiled and laid a hand on Tenma’s fluffy hair. The strands of hair felt nice against his slender fingers.

Tenma let out a giggle when he felt the hand on his head and looked at Kyousuke with bright eyes, flustering him and making him separate from the embrace.

“Let’s go to get your stuff,” Kyousuke swiftly said, already heading towards the stairs.

“Yeah!” Tenma exclaimed.

At his place, Tenma told Kino he would be spending the night at Kyousuke’s place, so she didn’t have to make dinner for him. After that, Tenma followed Kyousuke to his apartment. When Kyousuke opened the door, they were able to hear his mother’s voice, who was in the kitchen.

“Welcome back!” her voice loudly said and she peeped out the door to see the boys. “Dinner will be ready soon!”

“Alright!” Kyousuke shouted she could hear him. “Come with me, Tenma.”

Tenma followed Kyousuke to his bedroom and the taller boy pointed at the bed in front of them. “You’ll sleep here. It’s the bed I used as a child.”

“Eh…? But I want to sleep with you again…” Tenma complained.

Kyousuke gulped. “That was just one time. We don’t do that with our age.” Even though he said that, deep inside, Kyousuke knew that he wished for that experience to happen again, even if it embarrassed him greatly. Even though he knew it was wrong to want such thing.

Tenma left his bag on the bed and the boys took turns to shower. Just when Tenma had finished drying his hair, Kyousuke’s mother called both teens for dinner. Both hurriedly went to the table, feeling very hungry after having barely eaten today.

“That’s the boy he always talks about,” the mother whispered to her husband, who was sitting beside her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tenma-kun,” Kyousuke’s father greeted Tenma.

“T-The pleasure is mine!” Tenma responded, taken aback by the man’s formality.

Kyousuke sighed while frowning and complained, “You’re making him nervous.”

“Oh. My apologies.” The father apologized while Tenma stuttered that he didn’t need to do so.

“Well, uhm… it honestly surprised me.” Kyousuke’s mother started, “I never thought Kyousuke would be that kind of kid… I always expected him to bring a girl home, maybe when he was a bit older… b-but I’m happy for you two!”

Kyousuke’s father looked with wide eyes at his wife while Tenma’s face turned a deep shade of red. Kyousuke shook his head and took a deep breath, as if to calm himself down. He didn’t want to look embarrassed in front of his own parents.

“I told you we don’t have that kind of relationship!” Kyousuke said, Tenma rapidly nodding in agreement. “Geez,” Kyousuke started to complain, “I just… like… spending time with him more than anyone else.”

Tenma’s eyes shone and, with a huge smile on his face, he gave Kyousuke a tight hug.

“W-What’s up with you now?” Kyousuke asked with a dumbfounded look.

“I also like spending time with you more than anyone else!” Tenma said happily.

Kyousuke sighed but smiled, laying a hand on Tenma’s head. The smaller boy pulled him into their own world. It made Kyousuke completely forget and ignore the fact that his parents were seeing the scene. His parents looked at each other, at the moment the boys were sharing, and back to each other.

“A-Anyways,” Kyousuke’s mother started, her voice bringing Kyousuke back into the real world and making him break the embrace Tenma had given him. “I’m happy that Kyousuke found someone like you.”

Tenma blushed and Kyousuke gave his mother a look.

“Tenma,” he looked at his friend, “let’s go to sleep.”

They told Kyousuke’s parents good night and went to the bedroom.

The mother sighed. The love was in the air, but… “…They haven’t realized it.” 

Her husband shrugged, “Well, it’s normal for kids of their age… and it must be much more confusing when you’re… different.”

“Mmm… Yeah, you’re right.” The woman sighed again. “Oh, our little boy is growing so fast…”

Now the boys were in their respective beds.

But Kyousuke couldn’t fall asleep, instead looking at Tenma’s back. It felt oddly wrong to not share the bed with him when they were the only ones in the room. It felt… cold. It made him feel lonely, missing the other’s warmth.

To his surprise, Tenma turned his back, revealing that he had been awake the whole time.

Kyousuke turned his back, as if he hadn’t been staring at his friend for minutes.

“Tsurugi!” Tenma called him out. “Tsurugi! Turn over!”

Kyousuke turned over and, before Tenma said anything, he lifted his blanket and moved to leave a free space beside him.

Tenma’s face brightened up and quickly left his bed to go to Kyousuke’s, hugging and nuzzling his chest as soon as he got inside the bed.

While Tenma cuddled with him, Kyousuke lowered his pillow and body, leaving Tenma to wonder why he did that.

But all his doubts were cleared when he felt Kyousuke lay his chin on his head, then feeling a hand gently push his head and staying on it, the arm on top of his own relaxing. It was like Kyousuke was hugging him, in his own way. Tenma relaxed, feeling serene and hugging Kyousuke back, rubbing his head against his neck now.

Just as he was falling asleep, Tenma’s eyes became wide open when he felt five fingers intertwine with his own. They held his hand gently. Tenma wanted to look at Kyousuke’s face, but decided not to do it. He didn’t want to bother him. He held Kyousuke’s hand and went to sleep like that, holding hands with his best friend.


	3. The Third Day

The next morning, Kyousuke’s mother went to wake the boys up, but closed the door after she saw her son cuddling with his best friend, a peaceful smile shining on their faces. She went to the living room and asked her husband if boys really slept in the same bed and cuddled when they had sleepovers.

Her husband almost drowns on his coffee. Were all boys their age that dense…? Or just them because of their overly confusing situation and feelings…?

In the bedroom, both boys woke up and smiled wider after seeing each other (though Kyousuke’s smile still remained subtle). A wonderful first sight after waking up. Neither of them wanted to let the other go, feeling very comfortable in their positions. So they didn’t. Instead, they stared dreamingly at each other.

“…I think my arm is numb.” Tenma laughed, not accustomed to sleeping on his limb.

Kyousuke felt his heart skip a beat, his lungs not working anymore and the small smile on his face becoming a big, dumb one. And that’s when he knew. He had fallen in love with Tenma. “Should we get up?”

Tenma’s eyes widened at the sight of Kyousuke’s bright smile, feeling butterflies invade his stomach and his mouth become dry. And that’s when he knew. He had fallen in love with Kyousuke. “But I don’t wanna move…”

“Let’s stay a bit longer like this, then,” Kyousuke’s silky voice whispered.

Kyousuke’s mother entered her son’s bedroom again to actually wake them up this time, but got surprised by the scene she was now watching. The boys were so engrossed in their own world that they hadn’t even heard the woman come into the room. She cleared her throat. Both boys looked at her and turned a deep shade of red, too stupefied to move away from each other.

“Breakfast is ready,” the woman said and exited the bedroom as fast as she could.

“…Let’s get up,” Kyousuke suggested, still flabbergasted.

“…Yeah,” Tenma agreed.

Both boys dressed up and went to the living room, Kyousuke’s parents waiting for them. There was an uncomfortable silence in the air while everyone ate. Kyousuke’s mother decided to break the ice and ask Tenma how he had slept.

“Ah, fine,” he replied awkwardly.

Breakfast finished, Tenma hugged Kyousuke one last time, who laid his chin on top of Tenma’s head and reciprocated the hug. Tenma separated and went home. As he closed the door, Kyousuke’s mother looked at her son with a worried gaze.

Which he noticed.

He frowned and asked, “…What?”

“Are… are you sure Tenma-kun isn’t your boyfriend?” the woman asked.

Kyousuke audibly huffed, “Of course I am!”

He proceeded to go to his bedroom and lock it.

“Let him be. He’ll figure it out sooner or later,” Kyousuke’s father said, his wife sitting beside him, who sighed. She couldn’t help it but worry about her son.

Weeks passed.

Some people in the team could tell Tenma was being more affectionate than usual with Kyousuke now.

Kyousuke often tried to return the affection, when he thought no one was looking at them.

At the hospital, Yuuichi could tell as well that the boys had deepened their bond. But no one ever said anything about it.

And things stayed like that for months… until Tenma visited Yuuichi again.

Yuuichi greeted Tenma and noticed the nervousness reflected on his face. He asked what was wrong, considering Tenma another member of the family at this point.

“Uh, Yuuichi-san… how… how do you think Tsurugi would like love confessions…?” Tenma said quietly, without making eye contact.

Yuuichi relaxed and gave Tenma an understanding smile. He had thought the teen was going to tell him something serious.

“Don’t worry about that,” Yuuichi said with a smile.

Tenma didn’t look comforted.

Yuuichi continued, “Kyousuke likes you the way you are. He wouldn’t change you for anyone else in this entire world.”

“…Okay. Thank you.” Though not entirely convinced by Yuuichi’s words, Tenma felt his confidence rise. Yuuichi was Kyousuke’s older brother, so he knew more about him than Tenma did. Thinking about the future, Tenma left the room.

Yuuichi smiled to himself, already knowing the outcome of what was bound to happen.

That evening, Tenma texted Kyousuke. He asked him if he wanted to hang out and stay at his place the following weekend.

Kyousuke accepted. He had been thinking for some time now to tell Tenma his true feelings.

That weekend, Tenma and Kyousuke started their hang out by playing soccer by the riverbed. They didn’t play a lot, though. Strangely, they weren’t in the mood for it that day. Their feelings had been bothering both of them for months now. It even was starting to interrupt their enjoyment of their favorite sport.

Now at Tenma’s place, the boys were talking about all sorts of topics, sometimes bickering. School, family, childhood… and then the crushes topic came out.

“Have you ever had a crush, Tsurugi?” Tenma asked.

“Of course I have,” Kyousuke responded, asking with his raised eyebrow if Tenma had never had a crush before.

“Oh,” Tenma started, “I’ve always been centered on soccer… so I’ve never thought about those kinds of stuff.”

Kyousuke wasn’t surprised by this, already knowing well how Tenma was. “Have you ever fallen in love?”

Tenma realized that he had never fully understood what “falling in love” meant, despite his efforts to understand it. So he asked, “…Do you know the difference between falling in love and having a crush?”

Kyousuke nodded, “From what I’ve heard, it’s very different. But I don’t know if I’d be able to explain it.” He blinked, staring at the ceiling. “A crush… is something temporary. And you just feel shy with them. But when you fall in love… you want to be with the person you love forever. Your stomach and heart go crazy and… you might get shy around that person… but you’ll still try to talk with them because… you like them so much…”

He shut up before he kept making a bigger fool of himself. Saying those things out loud only remembered him how agitated his heart would get sometimes at the sight of Tenma. “Sorry… I don’t know how to explain it.”

But Tenma had understood everything. “Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Tenma gulped, unsure of the question he was going to make. “Have you… have you ever fallen in love?”

Kyousuke remained silent for a couple of seconds. “…Yes.” he quietly admitted.

“Uhm… do you still like her?” Tenma asked.

“Yes, but….” Kyousuke sighed deeply, hoping that Tenma wouldn’t have a negative response against his next sentence. “It’s… not a girl.”

Tenma raised his eyebrows and blinked. Maybe… maybe he had a chance after all? Tenma noticed Kyousuke feeling uncomfortable, shrugging while looking everywhere else except Tenma. “I… I think I’ve also fallen in love with a boy,” Tenma said, in hopes of bringing Kyousuke’s comfort back.

Kyousuke’s eyes widened for a moment. He now felt awkward and comfortable at the same time, feelings that Tenma shared. “Have you ever liked a boy like that before?” he asked, to then mentally slap himself. He had forgotten Tenma said he hadn’t ever had a crush.

“No… I didn’t even think boys could like each other in that way,” Tenma responded.

That did surprise Kyousuke. He had thought that everyone had imagined at least once how it would be like to date their own gender… or maybe he had been repressing his true feelings for a very long time…. “…I was hoping that you would know something about this already. Because… it’s being confusing.”

“I feel the same way… but I trust that boy likes me as well,” Tenma said with a smile. He knew Kyousuke liked him a lot more than he had thought. Combining that fact with what Kyousuke had just told him… he felt much more confident. “Can I know anything about yours?”

Kyousuke looked at the floor. Would Tenma realize he was talking about him if he described his appearance? …Well, if he didn’t get too specific, he should be okay. “Let’s see… he has fluffy hair and is short. He’s cheerful and always enjoys playing with his friends.”

“Does he play soccer as well?” Tenma asked with shiny eyes.

“…Yes,” Kyousuke admitted. It was common for boys to play that sport, so it should be a safe answer… or that’s what he had thought, now realizing that it’d be weird for a boy who enjoys playing soccer to not be in the soccer club. A small mistake… but, hopefully, it wouldn’t cause him trouble. “He also has… big, blue eyes…” Kyousuke stared at Tenma’s eyes, focusing on his irises, “and I can’t help it but… get lost on them….”

Tenma blinked, “Tsurugi…?”

Kyousuke gasped softly and blinked as well. The room was silent now, only Kyousuke’s deep inhales resonating. “What… about you?” He said after staring at Tenma’s eyes for a couple more seconds while frowning, despair filling him up when the thought of his love being one-sided reached his mind.

“Me?” Tenma asked, not understanding what Kyousuke meant.

“What about the boy you like. Tell me something about him.” Kyousuke wanted to believe that he had a chance, his insecurities getting the best of him now. Trying to thrash his heart like they had before.

Tenma was insecure of responding to Kyousuke’s question, noticing his current state. But, the description his friend had given…. Believing that Kyousuke might like him as well, Tenma answered, “He has spiky hair. And he’s very tall! I have lots of fun with him… ah, and he also has honey-like eyes that resemble stars at night! I love staring at them!”

Kyousuke held his breath. “Is he in the team?”

“Yes,” Tenma affirmed.

Kyousuke was the only one with spiky hair and honey-like eyes in the team… and he was one of the tallest members… but he didn’t fall into his own wishes yet. Perhaps Tenma had described another teammate, but in a weird way.

Leaving the topic behind, the boys spent a couple more hours chatting. Then, they had dinner and went to bed, Tenma not asking Aki for a futon this time.

She looked at them warmly, feeling that the big moment was going to happen soon.

Lying on Tenma’s bed, the boys looked at each other, conscious of every move they made. Tenma wasn’t able to stop looking at Kyousuke’s beautiful eyes. So he got closer, taking the other’s cheek on his hand. Just inspecting his eyes. Nothing else.

Or that had been his intention.

Kyousuke misunderstood Tenma’s action and blushed, placing his own hand on top of Tenma’s. He had never felt his heart beat this fast in his entire life. It was almost as if it was going to stop at any moment.

Tenma gulped but showed a confident look, changing the meaning of what he had done. He approached Kyousuke again, their faces mere inches away from each other. He felt his own cheeks heat up.

Neither of them knew who moved first.

But they knew one thing, and it was that their eyes were closed and that their lips were touching. They remained like that until they needed to breathe again, never breaking eye contact while they looked at each other.

Before Kyousuke could say anything, Tenma confessed, “I like you, Tsurugi.”

Kyousuke gave Tenma a small, shy smile and corrected him, “Kyousuke”.

Tenma giggled, “I like you… Kyousuke!”

“Don’t say it like that,” Kyousuke said, but smiled and laughed, feeling his heart jump.

Tenma felt his own heart get out of his chest when he saw Kyousuke’s gleeful reaction. He couldn’t help but laugh as well.

After quieting down, the boys smiled at each other and let their lips touch again.

“I…” Kyousuke started, thinking about what he was going to say. The phrase embarrassed him greatly, feeling his cheeks get hotter. But he had to say it, or he wouldn’t be content with himself. “I… like you, Tenma.”

Tenma smiled and kissed Kyousuke’s nose. Then, he signed with his hand to Kyousuke to lower his position.

Kyousuke didn’t question Tenma’s request and lowered his body. He felt a hand gently grab the side of his head and push it towards Tenma’s chest. He smiled and relaxed, his energetic heartbeat slowing down. He wrapped Tenma’s body with his arm and closed his eyes.

Only hearing Kyousuke’s serene breathing, Tenma fell asleep as well, happy to finally be with the one he truly loved.

The next morning, Kino went to wake the boys up, but closed the door when he saw the couple cuddling. She smiled to herself, glad that things worked out at the end. She headed to the kitchen, deciding that the pair deserved a grand breakfast.

Kyousuke was the first one to wake up. He was going to get up, but as soon as he moved his head, a hand pressed his head. Kyousuke blushed but smiled, nuzzling against Tenma’s chest. Which made Tenma wake up.

Tenma looked at his boyfriend. Smiling, he pat his head. “Good morning, Kyousuke.”

Kyousuke’s eyes widened at the sound of his partner’s voice. It made him stop moving. “G-Good morning. Uh… let’s get up.”

“Alright,” Tenma said while petting Kyousuke, embarrassing him.

The couple dressed up and went to the kitchen, Kino greeting them while placing a wonderful plate of pancakes on the table, alongside a bottle of maple syrup. “I’m glad you two finally got together,” Kino said while washing the frying pan she had used.

Tenma blushed, his piece of pancake falling from his fork, while Kyousuke choked on his food. When had Aki seen them…? Maybe when they were lost in their own world…? Or maybe… when they kissed…?!

“What… do you mean?” Tenma asked.

“I just entered the bedroom and saw you two cuddling… but not like the other time. You were hugging Tsurugi-kun this time, and I thought that he would only let someone do that if they were very, very close to him… or, well, that’s what I thought after hearing you talk about him so many times.” Kino smiled at the couple, but raised her eyebrows when the boys’ faces showed a red color. “Ah! Was I wrong?! I-I’m sorry!”

“No, no! I mean, uhm…!” Tenma looked at Kyousuke, not knowing what to respond. He didn’t have any problems with letting Kino know about their relationship, but he, of course, also needed Kyousuke’s opinion on the matter, and respect it if he disagreed. 

But Kyousuke nodded, though not making eye contact with anyone. Just mindlessly staring at his plate.

“You’re… you’re right! We’re dating!” Tenma clarified.

“Oh… I’m glad.” Aki awkwardly.

In the middle of an uncomfortable silence, Kyousuke’s voice resonated in the room. “…What did you mean by “the other time”…?”

“Erm, the first time you came here, you ended up sleeping while hugging Tenma, if I remember correctly…” Kino said.

While Kyousuke’s face turned a thousand degrees hotter, Tenma exclaimed, “You saw that?!”

“I’m sorry…! But I didn’t say anything about it because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Kino responded.

Tenma tried to laugh it off, but it embarrassed him a lot that his caretaker saw that.

After eating breakfast, Kyousuke announced that he had to leave to do some stuff at home. The couple headed outside, both of them wanting to hold the other’s hand but not doing it out of shyness.

And, when their only spectator was Sasuke, Kyousuke leaned down. Tenma tip toed and… their lips met again.

“Goodbye. I like you!” Tenma brightly said.

Kyousuke held his breath, but then smiled. “Goodbye. I like you too.”

But, just before going home, Kyousuke went to the hospital. He actually had someone that he really wanted to talk with about this.

“Oh, you’re very early today-? What happened?” Yuuichi said as he saw his brother walk into the room with a smile on his face.

“Don’t tell our parents… but Tenma and me are dating now,” Kyousuke said.

“I’m glad. I knew it would eventually happen,” Yuuichi said while smiling.

“But, please don’t tell our parents about it,” Kyousuke begged his brother.

“Do you think they’re homophobic?” Yuuichi asked.

“Nah,” Kyousuke started, remembering what happened when Tenma went to his place, “I just don’t want them to pester me about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty proud about this one, though I'm sure it could've been longer.
> 
> I currently am outlining a fic where the the boys go to Okinawa, but I'm having some problems with the plot, so I think it won't be ready until October-November.
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed reading this! Comments and criticism are appreciated!
> 
> twitter: @MissTakami


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